Roommates
by OutoftheShadow
Summary: Lucy finds a solution to her rent issue.


A/N: This is the first of a small list of one-shots I'm working on. I've only ever written for Inuyasha, so this is something new and fun for me. When I started writing this, I had no idea where it was going. I just always loved that the man on the boat is always telling Lucy to be careful. I also loved the chapter (not sure which it is now) where Lucy gets in bed and Natsu is already there sleeping. They seem so comfortable with each other, which is something different than any other manga or anime I've ever seen. So, to sum up, I had no idea where this was going when I sat down and wrote it, but I like where it decided to go. The best things I've ever written have written themselves.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, nor do I receive compensation for my attempts at writing.

Roommate

"Be careful, Lucy-chan!"

Lucy smiled and waved at the elderly man on the boat. She passed him everyday while walking home from Fairy Tail. It was one of the things in life that she could count on. Just like she could count on Natsu to be a hot head, and Gray to fight with him. She could count on Erza to break up those fights, and for the boys to straighten up quickly, less they wanted to get their heads knocked together. She could count on Kana to be constantly wasted, Happy to make insensitive comments and Makarov to be a dirty old man. Everyone at Fairy Tail was pretty predictable, but that was just fine with her.

Lucy chuckled to herself, thinking of her three best friends and comrades. Meeting Natsu was the best thing that had ever happened to her, except maybe finding out she was a stellar sprit mage. Ever since she received her first key, Lucy had wanted to belong to a mage guild. If wasn't very long after that she decided that Fairy Tale was the place for her. Natsu had given her the best gift she had ever received; a place to belong.

She was right, Fairy Tail was where she belonged.

However, she did wish she were a little stronger. It wasn't really fair to be placed in a group with Natsu (the crazy dragon-slayer), Gray (the ice wielder), and Erza (the strongest woman in Fairy Tail). There was such a gap in power between her and her three teammates. Even Happy, the pet cat, could fly. Where was the justice?

Unlocking her door, Lucy stepped into her apartment, making sure there were no guests she didn't invite already waiting for her. Thankfully, the room was empty and she gave a sigh of relief for finally getting some alone time.

After running some bath water, Lucy soaked for a while, still pondering her new station in the world.

For the first time in her life, Lucy was poor; really and truly poor. When she left home, it was always in the back of her mind that she could return to her father if things got bad. Now, that wasn't possible. If she didn't complete jobs, she couldn't pay rent, she couldn't eat, and most importantly, she couldn't buy new shoes.

It really was a good thing that stellar spirits didn't need food or clothes from their owners. Otherwise, with the keys she had collected recently, she would never make enough money. In the last few months, Lucy had collected three gold keys, bringing her total to ten stellar spirits.

Deciding that she had soaked enough (her fingers were getting rather prune-like), Lucy hauled herself from the ceramic tub and shivered in the cold air. She dried her skin as fast as she could and wrapped the fuzzy towel around her goose bump covered body.

Lucy felt as if she could flop in her bed as she was, but she decided brushing her teeth and putting on some clothes were probably best. She selected a comfy tank and matching panty set and slid between the mattress and her thick, fluffy comforter.

It wasn't very long after she had gotten comfortable that she noticed her bed was making strange sounds. Lucy growled and ripped the covers off herself and Natsu.

There he was, sleeping soundly, as if he owned the bed he was currently occupying. She almost slapped herself in the forehead when she realized that Happy had been curled up, snoozing right beside her pillow. She must have really been tired to miss that. Lucy thought about screaming as loud as she could in Natsu's ear, but changed her mind.

It had occurred to her some days ago that Natsu may not have an apartment of his own. When he wasn't sleeping at her house, she could see him sleeping at the bar of Fairy Tail, or going home with Gray. She wondered if he just couldn't afford one. They did always seem to trash so much property that no one ever got paid. It made perfect sense, and Lucy found herself feeling very sad for Natsu.

So, instead of punching him or rolling him off the bed onto the floor, Lucy gently shook Natsu's shoulder.

"Natsu?" she whispered.

He rolled toward her and blearily opened his sleep-hazed eyes.

"Hey, Lucy. When did you get home?" he asked right before a jaw-cracking yawn over took him. Lucy stifled the smile that threatened to slide across her lips. Not many people were lucky enough to witness this part of Natsu.

"Not too long ago. How long have you been here?"

"A few hours I guess," he answered, closing his eyes. Lucy could tell he wasn't falling asleep yet, but it wasn't going to be long, so she jumped to the point.

"I was thinking…" she lead. The grin she was hold back finally made itself known as Natsu cracked one eye opened and gave her as much attention as he was capable.

"Well," she began again, "I was thinking about getting a roommate. You know, because it's hard to come up with rent sometimes. I figured I'd ask if you wanted to move in here. You're practically over here all the time, anyway. We could sell this bed and get two smaller ones. What do you think?" she asked.

Natsu's forehead scrunched together in thought. Lucy closed her eyes, getting comfortable while she let him think about her offer.

She was almost asleep when she finally heard Natsu's soft reply.

"That sounds good. But, do we really have to sell the bed? I like this one. It's very squishy."

Lucy smiled and listened to him demonstrate his point by snuggling down further into her bed.

"No, Natsu," she said. "We don't have to sell the bed."

That was all that was left to say. The two friends fell into a peaceful sleep.

A/N: So, this is my first attempt at a Fairy Tail fanfic. It's different from the one I posted a few days ago on livejournal. I polished it up a bit. You can find my livejournal account on my profile. I'll be posting all my fanfiction there, as well as what I'm working on at the time.

Please leave a review on your way out. If you would like a reply, make sure to log in so I can do so. Thank you for reading.


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